PlaySide's upcoming real-time strategy title, Game of Thrones: War for Westeros, aims to capture the essence of the beloved book series with distinct faction mechanics and a familiar base-building RTS structure. An early preview of the game, focusing on 1v1 skirmish modes, showcased the visual fidelity and strategic depth players can expect when commanding houses like Stark and Lannister.
Visually, War for Westeros closely mirrors the aesthetics of the Game of Thrones series. Heroes such as Jon Snow and Tywin Lannister are rendered to resemble their television counterparts, set against detailed battlefields. The game's alpha build impressed with its visual presentation, depicting flaming arrows and crumbling structures as well as the devastating effects of Wildfire.
The distinction between playable factions, Stark and Lannister, extends beyond their visual appearance to their unique units, abilities, and economic strategies. House Stark, for instance, excels in robust unit options and can recruit forces beyond traditional army structures, including Night's Watch Brothers, Wildlings, and beasts. Their hero units, like Robb Stark and Jon Snow, gain power as they engage in combat, offering buffs and potent attack abilities. The Starks also feature formidable cavalry and unique mechanics for utilizing their surroundings.
In contrast, the Lannister faction leverages its wealth, with structures that generate more gold and faster builder speeds. This economic advantage allows them to convert gold into influence more readily, enabling quicker access to advanced units and buildings. The Lannisters can also hire mercenary companies, each offering distinct combat advantages. Their heroes, Jaime and Tywin Lannister, provide battlefield support with abilities focused on frontline combat, troop buffs, and area-of-effect attacks.
Gameplay in War for Westeros follows a traditional RTS format, reminiscent of titles like StarCraft and Age of Empires. Players begin with a central base that must be protected while expanding territory by capturing regions, often secured by holding towers. These captured regions can contain resource-rich points for advanced production buildings and neutral camps that spawn enemies. Defeating these neutral mobs provides a steady income of gold, a strategy that proved effective in the preview build for early-game resource management.
Hero units play a significant role, leveling up to unlock new abilities. The preview noted a strong resemblance to The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth 2, particularly in the handling of heroes, building placement, and the strategic use of neutral enemy camps for resources. The game's depth appears to cater to both casual players who enjoy experimenting with units and more experienced RTS players who will need to master hotkeys and unit counters.
Despite the promising early build, some areas require refinement before release. Tooltips are noted as being sparse, lacking specific details on gameplay mechanics like garrisoning workers. Additionally, the unit direction marker is small and easily obscured. The camera system was also highlighted as an area for improvement, with a desire for a higher, more encompassing view of the battlefield to better manage the large armies and structures.